The boys tennis team crushed the Woodside Wildcats with a final score of 6-1 on Thursday afternoon.
The first players off the court were the doubles three team, consisting of seniors Raphael Pierres and Connor Bae. The Bears got off to an incredible start with powerful serves and effortless coordination. After sweeping the first set 6-0, M-A carried their momentum into the second set, dominating with accurate ball placement and teamwork. The Bears proceeded to rule the court, winning the second set 6-1 and closing out their match.
Next off was the singles four, where freshman Rafa Kroes demolished his opponent. After picking up an early lead by utilizing his powerful serve, Kroes pushed the pace and won the first set 6-1. Kroes refused to ease up in the second set, winning again 6-1 by taking advantage of weak shots from his opponent.
“I just came in there knowing that I know how to hit my serves, and I just tried to play my game and not worry about who I was playing or how he was playing, just worrying about myself,” Kroes said.
Singles one was a hard-fought battle with lightning-fast serves and volleys, but junior Cole Aylaian fell short of victory. After struggling to accurately strike the ball, Aylaian lost the first set 6-1. Aylaian continued to fight, but was defeated in the second set 6-0.
The doubles two team of senior Liam Baker and junior Thomas Greenleaf finished with a win. Swift volleys and copious communication won the Bears the first set 6-1. They continued pushing into the second set with similar tactics, triumphing 6-2.
“We found a way to scrape through more volleys and approach bigger balls down the line. And I think that won us the match overall,” Baker said.
Singles two player junior Lawrence Chao* was next to finish, emerging victorious. Chao utilized his accurate placement as well as non-stop defense, winning the first set 6-4. Chao continued to force his opponent into tricky situations, clutching the second set 6-3.
Doubles two team with sophomores Max Weiss and Yoonwon Bae had an electric match packed with energy. With long rallies and heavy shots, the game was highly competitive. The Bears won the first set 6-2, and remained authoritative in the second set, finishing 6-4.
Last off the court was singles three senior Cubby Derrough, who had a neck-and-neck tiebreak finisher. After struggling to rally, Derrough succumbed 4-6 in the first set. Derrough had a change of pace in the second set, utilizing his incredible serve and accurate return to push a tie-breaker after winning the second set 6-2. The tie-breaker was back and forth, but Derrough came out on top, winning 10-6, and capping off the matches.
“This is the third match this week, so I’m a little tired, which kind of showed in the first set I lost. But then I think I had a mentality change, and I won the second set, 6-2. I think that also followed through in the breaker, where I won,” Derrough said.
Next, the Bears will play the Sacred Heart Gators away on Friday.
*Lawrence Chao is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.
